WHEN prominent owner Max McNeill decided to end his association with Adrian Heskin in a contractual sense earlier this year, the Cork rider wasn’t so much at a crossroads, but instead found himself taking a turn a little bit sooner than he had planned.

The 31-year-old was always going to eventually come back home to Kilworth, Co Cork, but without the security of the job he held for seven seasons in Britain, and all the success that comes with it, he finds himself back to where it all started for him earlier than initially planned.

The natural flow of jockeys, jumps and flat, is to go to Britain from Ireland in search of further opportunity. Going the opposite way, without a claim as an incentive for your services, is a swim against a particularly strong tide, but it’s a challenge the Grade 1-winning rider isn’t shirking.

“I’m working really hard,” Heskin asserts. “I’m definitely not expecting anything to be handed to me on a plate. There’s a wealth of talent here in Ireland, the young riders coming through are very strong and that makes things tight but I’m putting my head down.

“I’m riding out six, sometimes seven days a week. I’m in Willie’s, Henry’s and then as many other places as I can get to. Garry Cribbin has been a great friend of mine since I was a kid. He was my agent here before I left and he’s my agent again now.

“The hardest part of race riding is getting on the best horse in the race. I’ve had some lovely rides since I’ve come back. I’m riding for some good trainers like Anthony McCann, Tony Martin, Eamon Gallagher, Brendan Walsh, plenty of old supporters, lads I rode lots of winners for back in the early part of my career and it’s great to have support coming back from them.

“In terms of race riding, if you’re on the right horse, nine out of 10 lads are able to get the job done – it’s about getting yourself in position to get on the right horse. I’m ready for the challenge and I know it’s not going to be easy but I’m willing to give it 100%.”

Heskin burst on the scene as a rider in 2010 when, at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever rider to win at the Cheltenham Festival, partnering A New Story to victory in the Cross Country Chase for Michael Hourigan. He still holds that record jointly with Jack Kennedy (born on the exact same date).

Retained

Viewed as one of the best up and coming talents in Ireland in the following years, he was retained by Barry Connell in 2014 and delivered him his first Cheltenham Festival success on Martello Tower in the 2015 Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle. However, just over a year later, Connell cut ties, prompting the Cork rider to emigrate and take up a position with Tom George in Gloucestershire.

After a fast start for George, he began a fruitful relationship with McNeill, and signed a retainer for the owner for the beginning of the 2017 season, which ended on a high when the pair combined to win the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle with The World’s End. Since then, Heskin has had plenty of big race wins on the likes of Kiltealy Briggs, Tritonic, Threeunderthrufive, Djingle, and Her Indoors.

McNeill’s decision to end his retainer with Heskin and his racing manager Iain Turner, was due to what he described as a “rationalisation” of his operation.

“I suppose it was a little bit of a surprise but I could see completely where Max was coming from,” Heskin reflects. “We had five years, had a lot of luck, plenty of big winners, Grade 1 winners. With the trainers Max has, it does make sense to use their own jockeys as well. So I suppose in one sense there was no real need for me anymore.

“Of course, you’re disappointed in one sense as well. I really enjoyed my time riding for him – he is fantastic man and it’s a lovely family, real enthusiastic. I wish him all the best for the future. I’m still in regular contact and we’re good friends.

“I was very grateful for the position and the longer it went on the more grateful I was. It’s so hard to get on good horses like The World’s End, Tritonic, Threeunderthrufive and to regularly ride at the big meetings.

“It’s something you can only dream of really and it was a great experience – even to be able to go into the big yards and see how things are done, how the big trainers like their horses ridden.”

Heskin may well ride for McNeill again if the opportunity arises and he has already ridden for Paddy and Scott Bryceland, whose Magical Zoe got him off the mark in a listed mares’ hurdle at Gowran Park just over a month ago.

It was his second win on Henry de Bromhead’s mare and he was booked to ride her again for the Grade 3 Bottlegreen Hurdle at Down Royal on Friday before that meeting was abandoned.

The Brycelands are friends of the McNeill family and co-own a lot of horses with them, including Gordon Elliott’s top chasing prospect Three Card Brag. They also sponsor Heskin through their company, Ethos.

“I had a few seconds since I had returned so it was great to get going again and fair play to Henry de Bromhead and the team. She was fit and in great form going into Gowran,” he says. “You just need that flagship horse to kind of get your name out there. Hopefully she can keep her name in lights during the year. It was great to ride a winner for Paddy and Scott, two great lads.”

Farm

As well as riding out as much as he can, Heskin and his wife Danielle, also have a farm to attend to at home in Kilworth, where they are hoping to rear young National Hunt foals with a view to selling them on as store horses.

“We’ve always bred National Hunt stock at home,” he explains. “My father Mike had a lot of success - he bred Nick Dundee and Ned Kelly.

“ We’re trying to carry that on now but I suppose we have fewer broodmares than we did 10 years ago. Over the past five years I’ve been buying a couple of foals with a view to selling them as three-year-olds. I’ve a bunch of yearlings and two-year-olds at home now and we’ll be fishing for more foals in the sales coming up.

“I really enjoy working with young horses and then following their racing career. It’s a great side of the game I’d see myself getting more into down the line. Obviously that side of the game is lucrative now through the point-to-point sector. It’s easier said than done and it’s a hard scene to break into but hopefully we can produce a few nice prospects.”